Leadership of the U.S. Catholic Church gathers in New Orleans to work, pray

By Theodore P. Mahne
Times-Picayune
June 10, 2014

http://www.nola.com/religion/index.ssf/2014/06/leadership_of_the_us_catholic.html

Archbishop Gregory Aymond addresses the parishioners during the Ash Wednesday mass at the St. Louis Cathedral. Aymond, as the host bishop for this week's U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, acknowledged that he had an easier time drawing his colleagues to New Orleans than luring NFL owners to bring the Super Bowl to the city. It required no major public relations bid or politicking, he said.

New Orleans may have lost out on its bid to host the Super Bowl in 2018, but this week the city welcomes the leadership of the Catholic Church from across the United States, as the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops convenes its annual Spring General Assembly.

The meeting will draw about 250 bishops, archbishops and cardinals to the Hyatt Regency Hotel and the St. Louis Cathedral from Wednesday through Friday (June 10-12).

New Orleans Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond, as the host bishop, acknowledged that he had an easier time drawing his colleagues to New Orleans than persuading NFL owners to bring their championship game back to the city. It required no major public relations bid or politicking, he said.

“The city has all those things that attract anyone to it,” he said. In addition to the traditional lures of the history, food and culture, its Catholic culture and identity also were integral to the appeal.

“I did promise them that we could offer a warm and hospitable welcome. And that it would certainly be warm, as well,” Aymond said.

The spring meeting is held in a different diocese each year; the USCCB also gathers in the fall each year in Baltimore, befitting its status as the oldest diocese in the country.

The assembly is a working convention in which the bishops will present reports on topics ranging from the work of Catholic Relief Services to the role of the permanent deacons in the church to an update on the work of the National Review Board to protect children and young people from sexual abuse.

The most visible aspect of the conference will be the celebration of Mass at the St. Louis Cathedral on Wednesday afternoon. The lead celebrant of the Mass will be Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., who is the current president of the USCCB. The Mass will be concelebrated by all of the bishops and cardinals attending the Assembly.

The Mass, which is open to the public, will begin at 4:30 p.m. The Mass will be streamed live on the Internet.

The primary themes the meeting will be “Marriage and the Economy” and “The New Evangelization and Poverty.” Aymond noted that each of these topics have an impact on the others, and that they are important to the people of New Orleans.

“We in the archdiocese of New Orleans just completed the 'Year of Family and Faith,' and these issues still resonate in our communities,” he said.

The economy and its effects are always an issue of concern for the church, Aymond said. “We want justice in the system,” both for those who are employed and for those in need of employment. The aspect of evangelization is vital, he added.

“We are called to be a people of faith and to live out that faith.” Among the work of the bishop’s conference is to ensure that “we reach out to those who have been hurt in the past and invite them back lovingly into relationship with the church,” the archbishop said.

In addition to the actual work of the assembly, Aymond said the collegiality fostered at such meetings is immeasurable.

“Our unity is very important,” Aymond said. “We are very much aware that we are directly related, spiritually and fraternally, with one another and with Pope Francis.” The meetings and deliberations help the bishops collectively to recognize the priorities for the church in the United States, as well as in their individual dioceses, he said.

Overall, however, the most visible and sought-after result of the semi-annual meeting is to encourage the bishops “to follow the example of Christ himself, to live our faith,” Aymond said. “The conversations here will energize us to do so.”

While the general sessions get underway Thurdsday, Aymond noted that the members of a number of smaller committees have been in town all week dealing with a variety of issues. He serves, for example, on the Committee on Divine Worship.